Fire extinguisher



March- 11,1924'. 148mm G. P. MCDONNELL Filed'oet. 1, 1919 si rl i.

n 'l In 7" Patented lidiar. ll, ldfl.,

GEORG-E P. FECDNNELL,

Gli' ST. LOUIS, HESSO'UR...

sinn nir'rine-oisnna Application tiled Geteber l, 1919.

To all 'whom t may' conce/m.'

Be it lrnown that l, Geenen P. McDon- NELL, a citizen of the United States ol America, a resident of the city oi St. Louis, in the State et Missouri, have invented cer tain, new and useful lniprovements in Fire ingnishers, of which the lollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, termin O' a part of this specitication.

My invention relates to improvements in rire extinguishers, one ci the objects being to produce a simple and etl'ective automatic lire extinguisher. Another object is to produce a portable lire extinguisher adapted to be controlled by hand and also adapted to be operated automatically.

lrior to this invention, it has been customary to equip buildings with portable lire ntingnishers, which are to be manipulated by hand in the event ci a lire. The best known type oi' these portable extinguishers consists ot a chemical mining tanlr containng pressure producing chemicals which coinmingle wi *h each other when the tank is inverted, and the tank is usually provided with a ilezible discharge tube having a nozzle at its free end. An important object ol my invention is to enel le a portable lire exitinguisher ol this l. l to automatically discharge its contents in response to the heat resulting troni lire. l accomplish this by means of a simple combination of eleits, which allo" the extinguisher to oaiclrly removed 'from its support and inaiiipnlated by hand in the usual manner. The particular combination olf elements herein shown can be easily attached to an ordinary 1portable lire extinguisher, at a very low cost. Y v

llfith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprises the novel construction, combination and arrangement ci narrs hereinafter more sgecii'icall described dnd illustrated in the acconraan y ing drawwherein is sliovrnthe preferred embodion; however, it is to be uiderstood that the invention coinpreliends clnnges, variations and niodications which come within the scope of the claims hereunto aL pended.

Fig, l is a side elevation illustrating a lire extinguisher embodying the features or this invention, a portion of the chemical-mixing receptacle being broken away to show the acid bottle.

Serial Filo. 327,647.

Fig. lll is a fragmentary view, showing the clip whereby the discharge tube is held within the lower end or the chemicalmixing receptacle.

Fig. lll is a horizontal section through the ripper portion of the receptacle, illustrating the fusible band.

i designates acheinical-mixing receptacle adapted to contain the usual solution of bicarbonate of soda, and B designates a bottle arranged in the upper portion or" said receptacle and adapted to contain an acid. "When the receptacle is inverted, the acid will escape from the bottle and coinniingle with the solution to torni a gas under pressure, as is well understood in the art. The usual flexible discharge tube l extends downwardiy `from the upper end of the receptacle A. nozzle 2, secured to the lower end of tube 1, lies adjacent to the lower end of the receptacle. lt will be observed that the elements just described constitute a well-linown portable re extinguisher. lllithout materially ailecting the portability of the ei;- tinguisher, l provide it with a few simple attachments and thereby convert it into a combined portable and automatic lire eX- tingnisher.

3 designates a contractible band surrounding the receptacle A in a horizontal plane below the center of gravity of the receptacle. The ends of the band are connected by a bolt l- (llig. l), which may be adjusted Vto li'inily secure the band to the receptacle. Studs 5, extending from the band 8, are provided with nuts whereby plates 'l are loosely secured to the studs. Flexible suspension chains 8, located at opposite sides of the receptacle A, are secured at their lower ends to the plates 7, e 'une upper ends of these suspension chains are provided with hooks 9 adapted to be detachably secured to a supporting bracket l0, as shown in `Fig. l. Flbvionsly, these liools can be easily and quickly removed from the bracket to permit the device to be operated in the usual manner as portable lire extinguisher.

To retain the suspended fire extinguisher in anl upright position, a fusible band preterably surrounds the receptacle A und chains 8 in a plane above the center of gravity of the receptacle. rlliis fusible band may consist of a librons cord l1 and a *fusible link 12 connecting the ends of said cord` Heat insulating material l2 is interposed between the linlr l2 and the receptacle. The linlr may be fused by the heat resulting from a re, and the cord 11 will burn when exposed to the flames. rIhis fusible band, located near the top of the receptacle, retains the lower portions of the suspension chains in proximity to the receptacle, while the upper portions of the chains diverge from the upper end ofthe receptacle. When the fusible band is released the receptacle will drop a slight distance, causing the chains 8 to occupy the positions shown by dotted lines, and the receptacle will then be freely suspended from the studs 5, which lie below the center of gravity. As a consequence, the suspended receptacle will quickly tilt, or turn on the studs 5, to the inverted position shown by dotted lines in Fig. I. When this occurs, the acid flowing from the bottle B will commingle with the solution in the receptacle,

with the result of forcibly discharging the mixture through the discharge tube 1.

TWhen the extinguisher is operated automatically, as just pointed out, it is usually desirable to discharge the lire extinguishing Fluid onto the ceiling of the room, so as to distribute the fluid over a large area. The nozzle 2, at the lower end of the flexible discharge tube, is therefore directed away from the top oi' the receptacle and secured in this position by means of a double spring clip C. As shown by Figs. I and II, the spring clip comprises clip members embrac ing the nozzle and clip members embracing the lower edge of the receptacle. By securing the nozzle in this manner, it can be quickly detached when the extinguisher is to be operated by hand. lvVhen operated automatically, the receptacle is suspended in an inverted position, and the secured nozzle will then direct the outgoing stream onto the ceiling. The pressure resulting from this stream will cause the freely suspended receptacle to swing in an irregular manner, so as to distribute the fire extinguishing fluid over a very large area.

An electrical fire alarm is shown at the top or" Fig. I, and this alarm is controlled bythe fire extinguisher. The alarm may consist of an electric bell 13 connected to a battery 14, and the bell circuit may include a movable armatur.L 15 and a stationary contact 16 adapted to cooperate with said armature to complete the circuit. 1"? designates a spring tending to pull the armature into engagement with the contact 1G. An electromagnet 18 normally holds the armature 15 in the position shown in the drawing. l/Vhen the magnet is cle-energized, the spring 17 will pull the armature 15 onto the contact 16, so as to close the alarm circuit. The magnet circuit includes a battery 19 and conductors connectedV to binding posts 2O on a switch housing 21. A controlling switch, located in this housing, includes a iixed contact 22 connected to one of the binding posts 20. and a movable contact arm 23 connected to the other binding post. The movable contact arm 23 is pivoted at 24, and it may be separated from the fixed contact 22 to open the magnet circuit, thereby releasing the armature l5 to close the bell circuit. A weighted arm 25, extending from the contact arm 23, rests upon the `circular handle 2G at the top of the receptacle. Vhen'the lire extinguisher is removed from the supaortino' bracket 10. or when it is automati! cally invert-ed, the weighted arm 25 will drop by gravity, so as to Vopen the controlling switch and thereby sound the alarm.

I claim:

1. An automatic lire extinguisher comprising a chemicalniixing receptacle, a plurality of flexible suspension means secured tosaid receptacle whereby said receptacle is ti'ltably supported, a fusible means encircling said flexible suspension means above the center ot gravity otsaid receptacle and retaining portions ot said flexible means against the body of said receptacle, said flexible suspensin means diverging upwardly from said receptacle above the encircling fusible means, and a support to which the divergent flexible means is secured, whereby said receptacle is permitted to drop relatively to said support and be inverted when said fusible means is broken.

2. An automatic lire extinguisher comprising chemical mixing receptacle provided with a flexible discharge tube andra nozzle at the discharge end of said tube, said nozzle being directed downwardly from the lower portion of said receptacle, means for secur ing said discharge tube near the lower end of said receptacle, flexible suspension members arranged at opposite sides of said receptacle and having their lower ends secured to said receptacle below the center of gravity thereof.Y a support above said receptacle to which said flexible suspension members ar-e secured, and

a fusible band emb acing said receptacle andV suspension membersA in a plane Vabove the center of gravity oi' the receptacle, whereby said receptacle is held in an upright position and permitted to be inverted when said fusible band is broken, so as to permit iree and irregular iiexure of said flexible suspension members while the 'fluid is discharged upwardly trom the nozzle.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto affix my signature.

GEGRGE P. B/ICDONNELL. 

